


Laugh Thief

by anasticklefics



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Laughter, M/M, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29806227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anasticklefics/pseuds/anasticklefics
Summary: Tony steals people’s laughs, but Bucky knows exactly how to prod his real laugh out.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	Laugh Thief

The room was sweltering hot, way too crowded, and Tony found he had stolen someone’s laugh again. Not on purpose, of course. It just happened to him, nearly weekly now, as his social schedule was growing fuller. More impressions. More people to impress and to watch bend over backward in order to impress _him_. It was exhausting. He didn’t even try to hide it.

Opening his mouth wider than usual as he laughed at yet another too drawn out joke, he found he was mimicking the woman across from him. Not the joker this time, thankfully. They were always more conscious of the reactions their words had, and if Tony had been cackling smugly as the man before him he would certainly had noticed. Powerful or not, Tony wasn’t keen on offending the people he had to associate with at these galas.

“Wait, I get it now,” Clint piped up behind them, clearly eavesdropping, and Tony caught himself grinning. It was always fascinating to have the Avengers attend the same event. Not always easier, but certainly more fun. That day he merely felt relieved.

The woman whose laugh Tony had so shamelessly stolen, barked out a giggle again, clearly intoxicated and comfortable. Tony was entirely sober and as comfortable as he could be, and he knew the sudden and carefree sound didn’t match his body language, but he found he was mimicking it again.

“Mr Turner is nearly overflowing with jokes,” Tony said, turning to Clint. “Come join. I would say you can share some of your own anecdotes, but I wouldn’t want us to get kicked out.”

He located Natasha by the appetizers, catching her gaze with a wink. She rolled her eyes and reached for a shrimp-covered thing that she popped into her mouth, leaning back to signalize that she was watching. To either damage check once Clint would say something stupid, or to amuse herself as Clint baffled them all.

Tony slipped away from the group, finding the woman’s laugh was chafing in his mouth in a way he didn’t enjoy anymore. He needed to commit another crime, ironically enough. Someone was bound to have a quiet, calm laugh that he could latch onto. One that would go unnoticeable.

“Having fun?”

He turned his gaze at Bucky, his lips curling. “A little.”

“Good.” Bucky’s hair was slicked back, the length tucked into a ponytail that Tony longed to tug at. “That conversation certainly seemed entertaining.”

Tony let out a laugh that still had a hysterical, too loud edge for the situation. As much as he adored Bucky’s laugh and knew well enough how it sounded, he could never slip into it just like that. Not when he was still carrying around the remnants of someone else’s.

Bucky tilted his head at him. “Still on that?”

“What?” His nonchalant answer would get him nowhere, but he wasn’t in the right mindset to feel exposed. Not when he was so clearly out in the open.

Bucky didn’t reply, but his hand found Tony’s wrist and squeezed once.

“Are you?” Tony asked, not meeting his gaze.

“Am I what?”

“Having fun.”

“Sure.”

“Really?”

“Watching people either act too reserved or too outgoing and having it all be mostly fake is my ideal Saturday night.”

“Well.” Tony slipped his arm into Bucky’s. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here.”

“I know.”

“You do, huh.”

“Why do you think I came?”

“To analyze my performance, of course. Tell me; how did I do with Turner’s recycled jokes?”

“Badly.”

“Oh?”

“I know your real laugh, Stark.”

“Not even _I_ know my real laugh.” He’d realized early on that he never laughed the same during different stages of his life. Always imitating the laugh that meant the most to him or that he heard the most, until he suddenly spent so much time around strangers that it became impossible to not steal theirs too. Until he wouldn’t let people close enough to him to latch onto the sound, piece by piece. Today he could sound both like his best friend and worst enemy.

He rarely stole Bucky’s, because who was he to think he would be worthy enough of it? It was enough to simply hear it. If he stole it he never did it on purpose.

Bucky turned to face him fully now, something in his eyes that wasn’t appropriate in this room. “Oh, but I know it.”

“You do?” He flushed at how breathless his voice was.

“Of course.” Bucky took a step closer, his fingertips on Tony’s chest. “I hear it when you succeed at something in your workshop. Those times you manage to do something that was only a vague concept before you tried. How surprised you become. How gleefully you laugh.”

Tony nearly wanted to laugh, but found he didn’t know what laugh to steal now.

“I know your public persona isn’t the same as your private one,” Bucky continued. “And I selfishly almost like that you don’t laugh the same around them.”

“Oh?” He couldn’t manage anything else. The room felt hotter.

“Why should they get to hear what I hear when I kiss your neck, your cheek, your hip bone?”

“Jesus.” It was really fucking hot now. “Barnes, not here.”

“No?” Bucky’s smirk was lethal and Tony had never craved death this much. “Too much?”

“Entirely.”

“Sorry.” Bucky pressed his lips to Tony’s forehead briefly before pulling back and letting his hands fall away from Tony’s torso. “I guess I’ll save it until later. When we’re alone. In bed. My mouth on your-”

“Okay!” Tony shoved at the laughing bastard, turning to catch Natasha’s eye who had seemingly abandoned Barton and was watching them. Her smirk made him want to die for other reasons than Bucky’s.

“I was gonna say my mouth on your mouth,” Bucky was saying.

“Uh huh.” Tony narrowed his eyes at Nat before turning back to him. “I believe you.”

“Come on now. Don’t be pouty with me.”

“You have earned yourself a whole night’s worth of me making sure I accidentally drop things in front of you and have to bend down slowly to pick them up.”

Bucky hummed. “I have ways of getting revenge, Stark. I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”

“Moi?” Tony placed a hand on his chest. “I would never. Besides. Torturing you is never stupid.”

“You think?”

“You think I don’t enjoy your retaliations?”

“I know you do.”

“Hmm. Should we leave?”

“Can we?”

“Sure.”

Bucky’s face lit up. “Then why, pray tell, are we still here?”

As Tony bid people farewell, telling his fellow teammates that another car would be sent for them because Bucky and he needed the other one to themselves (“ _Gross, Stark_.”), Bucky slipped out of the room entirely. Tony found him by the door, their jackets in his hands.

“I wouldn’t put that on,” Bucky said casually as he handed it over. “I’m gonna take it off you in a minute anyway.”

This gala was way too fucking hot and Tony would _definitely_ be bringing it up when the inevitable email asking for feedback would arrive.

“Just the two of you?” Happy asked as they approached the car, scrambling out to open the door for them.

“Just us,” Tony choked out. “Call for another car for the others, please.”

“Already on it, boss.”

“Oh and roll down the partition. Please.”

Happy shot him a glance but didn’t reply. Merely got in and started the car, obliging immediately. They were as alone as they could be until they reached the Tower.

Tony turned to grin at Bucky. “So.”

“So?”

“When do you hear my real laugh again?”

Bucky scooted closer, his hand on Tony’s knee. “When you succeed when you didn’t expect to. When I kiss your neck, your hips.” His hand traveled upward. “Your inner thigh.”

Tony shuddered, gripping Bucky’s ponytail finally. “Is my laugh nice or does it, like, ruin the moment?”

“Oh, no, it’s _really_ nice. Beautiful. Giggly at times.”

“Giggly?”

“Uh huh.”

“Doesn’t sound too hot.”

“It is. Think about it. _I_ made you make that sound.”

“You and your stupid mouth.”

“The mouth misses your skin.”

“My skin misses your mouth.”

Bucky leaned closer, letting his lips trace Tony’s cheekbone. “You wanna know when your laugh is most deliciously, uncontrollably yours?”

“Uh huh.”

“When I do this.”

And then the bastard fucking blew a raspberry onto his neck, catching him by such surprise that Tony knew the squeal he let out couldn’t be anyone else’s but his own. “Wait!”

“Tickling you is fun as it is,” Bucky said into his skin, his fingers finding Tony’s ribs. “But hearing you laugh like this while I do it? Incredible.”

Tony gripped his wrists, but was no match for his super strength. “Wait, no, this is cheating, no!”

“How can it be cheating when this isn’t a game?”

“Stop being fake deep- no!”

Bucky’s mouth had returned, this time nibbling on the tender skin beneath Tony’s chin and it tickled, it tickled, shit it fucking tickled. One day he might learn what his calm laugh was like, not this hysterical, desperate mess, but he had to admit he was glad it was Bucky who was the reason for this particular laugh and no one else.


End file.
